Discover the stories of The National Library and its role in preserving the cultural and literacy heritage of Singapore

A jukebox playing old Singapore music, beautiful book covers of Jawi novels, a librarian giving out free slices of pandan cakes in the garden – these are some of Our Stories, the stories of the National Library and its patrons. On the weekend of 16 and 17 November, the National Library will come alive with concurrent exhibitions, talks, tours and more, to show the best of what it has to offer. Highlights of the Our Stories event include:   

  • 1919: The Singapore Centenary and its Celebration – As we commemorate Singapore’s Bicentennial this year, we look at materials from the National Library’s collections that show how Singapore commemorated its hundredth year as a colonial port-settlement in 1919. The highlight of this showcase is an album of photographs capturing the festivities on Centenary Day, 6 February 1919.
  • WikiSURE Workshop – With the assistance of librarians and the National Library’s resources, members of the public will work together to correct misinformation, and improve the content and credibility of Singapore-related articles on Wikipedia.
  • Teater Melayu Singapura: Diantara ruang pementasan & kajian (Seminar on Singapore Malay theatre: Performance & Research Spaces) – In conjunction with the same-day launch of the Digital Archives of Singapore Malay Theatre, Dr Sa’eda Buang, Head of Asian Languages & Cultures, National Institute of Education, Ms Shaza Ishak, Company Director, Teater Ekamatra, and Mr Zulfadli Rashid, independent playwright, will discuss the milestones of Singapore Malay Theatre. The seminar will be conducted in Malay.
  • Choral Performance by LalitAnjali (L9P) – LalitAnjali was established in 2015 by Mrs Lalitha Vaidyanathan, veteran musician and founder of the Singapore Indian Orchestra and Choir. L9P will perform pieces from the Digital Archive of Singapore Tamil Music (http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/arts)

There will also be a children’s programme, and roving librarians appearing throughout the day, to share about their favourite materials in the National Library’s collections.

The Our Stories event invites the public to explore the National Library’s collections, and celebrate the histories that we all share. The National Library Board (NLB) hopes that Our Stories will also enable the public to understand the important role of the National Library in preserving Singapore’s cultural and literary heritage.

A full list of Our Stories programmes is given below. Please refer to Annex A for a list of the programme highlights, and Annex B for a timetable of the programmes on 16 and 17 November.

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For media enquiries, please contact:

Ms Hannah Yeo
National Library Board
Tel: 8322 4965
Email: hannah_yeo@nlb.gov.sg

Ms Cheryl Tan
National Library Board
Tel: 9060 6659
Email: cheryl_tan@nlb.gov.sg

 

About National Library, Singapore 
The National Library is Singapore’s knowledge institution, responsible for preserving our cultural and literary heritage as well as the provision of trusted reference services. The National Library constantly seeks to enrich its collection on Singapore and Southeast Asia history through acquisitions and public donations.

More than just supporting reference and research, the National Library uses materials in its rich collection to develop greater public appreciation of Singapore’s history and heritage through exhibitions, programmes and publications. The National Library welcomes contributions from all organisations with heritage materials so that these materials can be preserved and made accessible to present and future generations.

 

About National Library Board 
The National Library Board (NLB) nurtures Readers for Life, Learning Communities and a Knowledgeable Nation by promoting reading, learning and history through its network of 26 public libraries, the National Library and the National Archives of Singapore. NLB also forges strategic partnerships that encourage awareness, appreciation and greater discovery of Singapore’s history through its rich collections on Singapore and the region.

NLB achieves excellence through innovation, focusing on citizen engagement and co-creation, resource and digital innovation. This creates learning opportunities, greater access to library resources, services and archival collections, as well as a continual development of innovative library spaces. Established on 1 September 1995 as a statutory board, NLB is under the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI).

For more information, please visit www.nlb.gov.sg, Facebook and YouTube.

 

ANNEX A - OUR STORIES: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE PROGRAMMES ON 16 AND 17 NOVEMBER 2019

ANNEX B - SCHEDULE OF PROGRAMMES ON 16 AND 17 NOVEMBER 2019